Transparent face protector and interchangeable mount device

ABSTRACT

A transparent face protector assembly having a transparent protective mask covering the lower half or lower three quarters of the face, two arms that feature two axis adjustment, a swivel, pivot or hinge and one or more clips to adjust or temporarily adjust the position of the face protector or to open and close the face protector from either the left or the right side, and interchangeable mount devices that attach to the end of the arms to enable secure fitment to helmet ancillary attachment rails and systems. The face protector is attached with interchangeable mount devices that attach to the end of the arms to enable secure fitment to helmet ancillary attachment rails using ARC® or Picatinny® rail systems.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of International Patent ApplicationNo. PCT/AU2022/050973, filed Aug. 24, 2022, which claims the benefit ofand priority to Australian Patent Application No. 2021902673, filed Aug.24, 2021, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

In military or other situations involving extreme danger, where theremight be an elevated risk of projectiles hitting the face causing lifechanging facial disfigurement, it is desirable to have a face shield toprotect the wearer of the helmet. Often times, the face shield addsconsiderable heat, weight or other discomfort to the wearer. In manysituations, the wearer needs to be acutely aware of their surroundings,so visibility is important, even peripheral vision. What is needed is atransparent face protector which provides visibility at least from thewearer's perspective, yet is durable and strong enough to resist impactsthat might be encountered in the field.

SUMMARY

In a preferred aspect, the present disclosure sets forth a faceprotector to shield a face of a wearer. The face protector includes atransparent lower face covering portion, the portion being: anambidextrous hinge release permitting opening of the facial protectionsystem from either side to access the mouth and nose; opposed verticallyadjustable attachment arms configured to position the face covering; anadaptor on one end of each vertical attachment arm configured to engagewith a corresponding attachment rail; a horizontal adjustment armconfigured to position the face covering to ensure sufficient clearancefrom the user's face; and a horizontal adjustment arm configured toposition the face covering to ensure sufficient clearance from theuser's face when wearing a tactical respirator. The lower face coveringportion is adjustably fixed to the approximate vertical attachment armsby an attachment means permitting movement of the transparent lower facecovering portion through a swivelling motion.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed, unless otherwisestated. In the present specification and claims, the word “comprising”and its derivatives including “comprises” and “comprise” include each ofthe stated integers, but does not exclude the inclusion of one or morefurther integers. The claims as filed with this application are herebyincorporated by reference in the description.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of theinvention and together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of one or more forms of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a face protector mounted to a helmet.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the face protector of FIG. 1 , showinganthropomorphic eye movement ranges allowed by the face protector.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of a face protector and one embodiment of ahinged clasp.

FIG. 4 is a side and front view of the face protector of FIGS. 1 and 3 ,showing the opening movement allowed by the hinged clasp on the faceprotector.

FIG. 5 is a progressive side view of the face protector of FIG. 1 ,showing a multiplicity of helmet rail adapters and the individualcomponents of the face protector assembly.

FIG. 6 are progressive side and perspective views of a rail adaptor ofFIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 is a side view of the face protector connected to the helmet on auser.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferredembodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1-7 show views of a face protector shield system 100 forattachment to a helmet 10. Protector shield 100 includes a coveringportion 102 and arms or rails 104, and a rail adaptor 110. Preferredaspects and features of the protector shield will be further describedbelow. FIGS. 1 and 2 show face protector 100 mounted to helmet 10. Faceprotector 100 has a lower face covering portion 102 and near verticalattachment arms 104. Face protector 100 covers the lower portion of theface incorporating the mouth and nose of the wearer of the wearer toprovide a level of impact protection to the face. The level of impactprotection may include laser protection, ballistic protection and/orother inherent protective properties.

Generally vertical attachment arms 104 and generally horizontalattachment arms are preferably made of a heat resistant plastic orhybrid material, such as a carbon fibre-impregnated material, tooptimise strength while remaining lightweight.

One vertical attachment arm 104 and one horizontal attachment arm may bepositioned on each side of the face protector 100 as shown in FIGS. 2and 3 . Each attachment arm 104 is preferably oriented at an anglerelative to a horizontal plane, for example, in a range of 30 to 60degrees, preferably roughly 45 degrees.

Referring to FIG. 4 , face protector 100 is connected to the nearvertical arm 104 and the horizontal arm with a hinged clasp and clipassembly 106 on a side of the face protector. Assembly 106 is preferablymade of a harder material such as a metal, plastic or carbon fibre.

Referring to FIG. 3 , clasp 106 may be attachable on both sides of theface protector if desired. Vertical attachment arm 104 may be fittedwith a form of vertical adjustment 105 may be a slot to optimally alignthe vertical height of the face protector to the wearer. Adjustment 105may allow a range of adjustment between 10 mm to 25 mm, and may beadjusted by vertical rods, screws, interlocking sleeves or othermechanism to enable adjustment. The surface of vertical attachment arm104 may include vents or channels 107 to provide airflow to the wearer.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , vertical attachment arms 104 and thehorizontal attachment arms are configured to engage with correspondingattachment rails 108 on the helmet.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6 , face protector 100 may affixsecurely to any helmet fitted with standard attachment rails 108, suchas an ARC® or Picatinny® rail or other similar mounting systems, using amultiplicity of adapters 110 suited to different rail systems. Provisionmay be made for a quick release attachment/detachment to enhance quickdisengagement from one helmet to attach to another helmet if desired.

Face protector 100 may be moulded into different shapes to suitdifferent applications, such as a motorcycle helmet, or to integratewith a respirator or filter system to be worn concurrently. For militaryapplications, face protector 100 may include a concave indent 112 (shownin FIG. 2 ) on both sides to allow the wearer to align their cheekclosely to their weapon system to optimally align their eye to a mountedoptical sight mounted onto the weapon.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the lover face covering portion 102 of faceprotector 100 is aligned with the midpoint of the helmet when mounted onthe attachment rails 104 on the helmet.

Referring to FIG. 3 , face protector 100 is shaped and positioned whenattached to the helmet to minimise obstruction or occlusion to the lowerlimit of the visual field. Face protector 100 permits a direct field ofview up to 40 degrees below a horizontal plane projecting central to thewearer's eyes. Lower face covering portion 102 of face protector 100 ispreferably made of a transparent material. Exemplary materials include,but are not limited to, polycarbonate, or a bullet-proof transparentmaterial. Preferably face protector 100 is made of a material that islight, yet durable.

The transparent material may be between 2 to 5 millimetres in thickness.The height of lower face covering portion 102 between a bottom (chin) totop (covering nose) may be in a range between 7 to 12 cm. It will beappreciated that the dimensions may be varied depending upon theintended wearer size.

The transparent material provides a level of protection withoutobstructing, minimising or occluding the direct field of view at thelower limit of maximum eye rotation (up to 40° below a horizontal planeprojecting central to the wearer's eye). The transparent material issee-through from the wearer's side and may also be see-through from theoutside. Alternatively, the face protector may be slightly opaque ortranslucent, or mirror-like from the observer's view to partially orcompletely obscure the wearer's identity if desired. The transparentmaterial is preferably scratch-proof. It may be fitted with tear-awayclear protective sheets on the outer surface to further protect fromscratches, and prolong the life of the transparent face protector. Thetransparent material preferably has anti-fogging properties, which mayinclude air flow channels or vents to physically prevent fogging.

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the face protector with opening movementpermitted by the face protector. Lower face covering portion 102 of faceprotector 100 is fitted to vertical attachment arms 104 and thehorizontal attachment arms with a mechanical or magnetic clasp and clipassembly 106 to enable opening of one or both sides of the faceprotector to provide unobstructed access to the mouth and nose to enableclear speech, and not interfere with eating.

Either side of lower face covering portion 102 of the face protector maybe openable with clasp and clip assembly 106, that preferablyincorporates a hinge, and the opposing side of the lower face coveringportion 102 of the face protector may be secured with assembly 106 toenable horizontal opening of the face protector to provide unobstructedaccess to the nose and mouth to enable clear speech and not interferewith eating. This dual clasp, hinge, and clip mechanism advantageouslyenables one handed opening from either the left or the right side.

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the components of the face protector,including lower face covering portion 102, adjustable vertical arms 104,a clasp and clip assembly 106 and helmet rail specific adapters 110.

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of helmet rail specific adapter 110 to fit anARC® rail 108. A T-shaped insert 113 fits into detent 114 to secureadaptor 110 into one of retaining slots 116. Rail adaptor 110 permitshorizontal frontwards and backwards movement of lower face coveringportion 102 away or toward a user's face to provide room for facial hairgrowth, and to accommodate breathing in cold conditions so as not tocause fogging to a transparent face shield. The attachability anddetachability of the various components (e.g., rail adaptors 110 tohelmet 10; arms 104 to the rail adaptors 110; and one or both ends ofthe lower face covering to arms 104) provide a wide range of adjustmentsand versatility to adapt to a variety of field environments.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the face protector of FIG. 1 fitted with ahorizontal arm to provide horizontal structural integrity to the system,suitable for use as a motorcycle, bicycle or other helmet systemdesigned to protect the wearer from strong horizontal impact. Horizontalbar 116 is preferably shaped to fit around acoustic hearing protection118 without physically interacting with it, or interfering with thefunction of hinged clasp 106 (FIG. 5 ).

The foregoing description is by way of example only, and may be variedconsiderably without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.The features described with respect to one embodiment may be applied toother embodiments, or combined with or interchanged with the features ofother embodiments, as appropriate, without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure.

The present disclosure in a preferred form provides the advantage ofbeing lightweight whilst still highly protective. The present disclosurein a preferred form provides the advantage of being interchangeablebetween helmets, to suit helmets worn by different users, for differentactivities. This means the face protector may be used more often than ifit was permanently affixed to a helmet designed for a one-sized user, orfor one specific purpose (e.g., combat or motorcycle riding). Thepresent disclosure in a preferred form also provides the advantages ofanti-scratch and anti-fog properties which are beneficial when thecovering portion is transparent. In addition, the present disclosure ina preferred form provides the advantage of being adjustable andmoveable, to facilitate clear speech and ability of the user to eatwhile wearing the helmet. In addition, the present disclosure in apreferred form provides the advantage of being able to be operated bythe left or right side by one hand and is therefore suited to both leftand right-handed users.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of forms ofthe embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that the specificationand examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope andspirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A face protector to shield a face of a wearer,comprising: a transparent lower face covering portion, at least a partof which is composed of an optical quality toric or planar surface; anambidextrous hinge release permitting opening of the face protectorsystem from either side to access the mouth and nose; opposed verticallyadjustable attachment arms configured to position said face covering; anadaptor on one end of each vertical attachment arm configured to engagewith a corresponding attachment rail; a horizontal adjustment armconfigured to position said face covering to ensure sufficient clearancefrom the user's face when wearing a tactical respirator, where saidlower face covering portion is adjustably fixed to said approximatevertical attachment arms by an attachment means permitting movement ofthe transparent lower face covering portion through a swivelling motion;and a clip on each side of the lower face covering portion that includesa hinge to enable horizontal opening of the face protector to provideunobstructed access to the nose and mouth.
 2. The face protector ofclaim 1, wherein said transparent lower face covering portion has ascratch resistance feature enhanced by tear away clear protective sheetson the outer surface of the transparent lower face covering portion. 3.The face protector of claim 1, wherein said transparent lower facecovering portion has an impact resistance feature that is at laserprotection level.
 4. The face protector of claim 1, wherein saidtransparent lower face covering portion has an impact resistance featurethat is at ballistic protection level.
 5. The face protector of claim 1,wherein said face covering includes a plurality of air flow channels. 6.The face protector of claim 1, wherein said face covering includes aplurality of vents.
 7. The face protector of claim 1, wherein saidhorizontal attachment arm is configured to fit over wearable acoustichearing protection.
 8. The face protector of claim 1, wherein each ofsaid attachment arms is made of a heat resistant plastic and/or hybridmaterial.
 9. The face protector of claim 1, wherein each of saidattachment arms is made of carbon fibre impregnated material.
 10. Theface protector of claim 1, wherein said face protector is configured topermit a direct field of view up to 40 degrees below a horizontal planeprojecting central to the wearer's eyes.
 11. The face protector of claim1, wherein the transparent lower face covering portion is between 2 to 5millimetres in thickness.
 12. The face protector of claim 1, where theattachment means includes at least one of slots, notches and detents.13. The face protector of claim 1, wherein said transparent lower facecovering is at least one of scratch resistant, impact resistant, and/orfog resistant.